Etcetera
by Dixie Dewdrop
Summary: Gibbs continues to experience interesting side effects after a job injury. This is part of my Here and Now scenario, and refers to events in Alternate Reality.
1. Insecurity

Insecurity

"Jethro, I refuse to have you exerting yourself too much. You are by no means healed," Dr. Ducky Mallard insisted.

He stood back and regarded his friend.

Gibbs slid off the hospital bed and stood for a moment holding onto the tray table until he felt balanced. "Right you are, Duck, but the faster I get myself moving, the better. I need to be back on the job at NCIS, and I am certainly tired of being confined to a hospital bed. Why haven't you sprung me from here yet, Duck?"

Ducky nodded sympathetically as he took the NCIS team leader's arm to help steady him. "Even the Agency Director has maintained that if you leave the hospital against medical advice, you will be subsequently barred from the agency. You are by no means well. Barred, Jethro, that is the term the director used. A synonym to that would be banned."

Noting Jethro's annoyed expression, Ducky softened and tried to reason with his friend. "I know how determined you are, but a relapse will wipe you out for weeks. Take it easy now, and it will work to your advantage in the long run."

Gibbs actually pondered the last words. Rubbing his chin he conceded, "Ok, but could I at least take a walk around the hall?"

"Absolutely," the good doctor assured him, and together they paced the length of the hall outside the patient's room three times before Ducky called a halt.

"That concludes your activity for the morning," Ducky announced firmly, "and now I want you back in that bed. Take a nap, Jethro, and after lunch you can certainly get more of a workout. I spoke to young Anthony this morning and he shared that he and Abigail would visit after lunch."

Gibbs nodded as he scooted back onto the mattress. "I forbade them to stay all day with me at the hospital and told them they can only come for visits of a couple of hours at a time. They wanted to continue to stay around the clock."

Ducky smoothed the covers over the patient. "They were terrified while you were in the coma, Jethro, and kept vigil from the time the house exploded and you were admitted here. Why did I tell you that the two…"

Interrupting the story before Ducky could really start it, Gibbs softened his expression, "I understand that, Duck, but I find it difficult having them so clingy these days. They act as though I will disappear on them on a wisp of smoke. You know while I was in that coma I actually dreamed that I was their father, and believe me, they were true to form even then. Subconsciously, I guess I realized they flanked my hospital bed. I told you that already, though."

"Understandable, dear chap, since the three of you live together. Your mind simply focused upon an obvious bond while you lay unconscious. As for their behavior now, they still need reassurance that you will not leave them. Like it or not, you have become a surrogate parent to them."

Taking one more cursory look at the chart at the end of Jethro's bed Ducky waved and exited the hospital room.

Gibbs watched the departure and shifted onto his side to get comfortable. Dr. Mallard had a good grasp of the situation, and deep down, Gibbs understood Tony and Abby's continued trepidation. Still, he really had to find a way to convey to the two that he had no intention of leaving them.

The fact that they felt so dependent upon him unnerved the agent.

_The twins had celebrated their sixth birthday the week before and Jethro Gibbs could not hide his pride in their personalities and intelligence. _Besides that, no one could deny that both Abby and Tony were incredibly beautiful children. Though still petite for their ages, they each possessed bright green eyes framed with long lashes and ready smiles. Tony's brown hair was laced liberally with blond while Abby's was a dark, rich brown.

Behavior wise they generally caused little deliberate trouble. However, when they did decide to head down the naughty trail, they wrought havoc in their wake.

That provided the basis for the precautionary talk Jethro currently conducted as he drove the three of them to Stillwater, Pennsylvania, and his father's home.

Both children sat in the backseat, strapped in their booster car seats.

"Remember that Grandpa is not used to having little kids around all the time, so the two of you need to use quiet voices in the house." Gibbs glanced in the mirror to make sure they paid attention.

Tony had a toy car he maneuvered by zooming the vehicle over the window frame and Abby was whispering something to her baby doll as she thrust a toy bottle into its mouth.

"Pay attention to me, please," the dad directed, slowing the car as he approached a four way stop.

"Got it, Daddy," Tony confirmed, and Gibbs glanced in the rear view mirror again and smiled at him. Tony grinned back, exposing a gap where one top front tooth had made a recent disappearance.

"You okay, Abbs?" Gibbs asked his little girl.

She grinned as well, displaying a gap where she too had lost a baby tooth. Hers was on the bottom, though.

"I am okay, and my baby is okay. I just fed her, Daddy."

"Are we there, yet?" Tony questioned, pressing his face against the window to view the countryside from that angle, then sticking his tongue onto the glass to leave a mark.

"Daddy, Tony smashed his face on the window and that will make it dirty," Abby contributed, smoothing the front of her little polka dot dress. "He needs to stop."

Annoyed at the comment, Tony whirled to confront her. "Quit talking about me! You spilled juice on the seat already."

Before they could sink into a knock down drag out fight Gibbs intervened, his voice firm, "Both of you stop that right this minute, and Abby, I believe that I just sent you to your room yesterday for tattling."

"You can't do that now, Daddy," Tony supplied. "She hasn't got a room 'cause she's in the car. You could spank her, though," he added helpfully.

Abby sputtered with anger at that contribution, and retaliated by slapping her brother's arm. He followed in kind, and a flurry of raised voices, tears, angry name calling, and smacks came next.

Their father pinched the bridge of his nose and slowly counted to ten while reminding himself they normally behaved. Sometimes, though, they made it extremely difficult for him to not lose his temper.

"Tony!" he spoke sharply, and the little boy snatched his hand back and turned away from his twin. "I did not ask for your help at all, so please do not share it with me unless I personally consult you and request your help."

Tony scowled and kicked the back of the seat in front of him, then turned to look out the window.

Abby smirked at her victory.

Jethro had not finished, however. "If I stop this car before we get to Grandpa and Stillwater, it will be because I am going to spank both of you. I said both of you, and I mean I will put each of you across my lap and blister your bottoms. Am I clear?"

Abby's smile faded then and she hugged her baby to her.

"I asked you both a question and I expect immediate replies from you."

"Clear, Daddy," his little girl responded, twirling a pigtail thoughtfully.

"Yes sir," Tony assured him, "I don't need a spanking at all. Let's talk about another thing."

Jethro nodded and quickly changed his tone. "How about we play the alphabet game the rest of the way, ok? Remember that we have to find a road sign that starts with _A, _then one that starts with _B,_ then all the way down the alphabet. Can we get to _Z _before we get to your grandfather's, do you think?"

Excitedly they accepted the challenge and the rest of the ride proved smooth and fun.

A few hours later Gibbs tucked his little boy into bed, then crossed the hall and did the same for his daughter.

He stood a moment in the hall between them then, glancing in both open doors at their tiny bodies. Both had gone to sleep instantly, having worn themselves out on the car ride and the excitement of getting to Jack's. His heart swelled. He did love them deeply, and took his job as father, protector, and provider very seriously.

Jackson Gibbs jerked his head up to study his own son when Jethro plopped wearily onto the sofa cushion. Leaning against the pillow behind him he rolled his head from side to side, trying to unkink the tight muscles in his neck.

"Parenting is exhausting, Dad," he commented. "I feel like I have run down a family of criminals and then scaled a skyscraper."

Jackson smirked but answered simply, "I know, Son."

The next day, Sunday, the four attended an eleven o'clock service at their family church. At breakfast Jackson had talked to his grandchildren enthusiastically about the service that the chapel held just for the little ones, which consisted of a Bible story and activity, then outdoor play.

Tony turned eagerly to his father, practically jumping up and down at the prospect, "Can I get dirty at Sunday School then, Daddy? Please?"

Jackson tousled his hair, but Gibbs cautioned as he wiped milk off the side of the little boy's mouth, "Try to stay clean just for a couple of hours, okay, Son?"

Abby slid her hand into her grandfather's and twirled from side to side. "My dress is pretty and I don't want to get it dirty."

"It is a beautiful dress, and I do love polka dots. You don't have to get it dirty when you go out to play, though," Jackson assured her.

Swinging her up, the elder Gibbs set Abby on his hip and carried her, and Tony demanded his father do the same for him.

When the family entered the church sanctuary the men stopped several times before they found a vacant pew because friends and neighbors insisted upon pinching Abby's and Tony's cheeks and commenting upon their likeness to Jethro. Everyone thought them adorable. Tony loved the attention and preened happily, chattering with the strangers as though they lived next door, but Abby uncharacteristically developed a case of shyness and buried her head in Jack's chest.

The Church for Children was announced with a summons for all of the little ones to head towards the altar. Tony excitedly climbed over his grandfather and dad and hurried to the front, glancing back to give his father a snaggletoothed grin.

Abby, however, refused to accompany her sibling. When urged to join the others she wedged herself behind her father's back and refused to budge.

"Daddy, I don't want to leave you," she whispered repeatedly, and finally, Gibbs quit trying to talk her into going and let her stay.

On the other hand, Tony did not concern himself with leaving the others whatsoever. He contributed happily to the lesson and skipped out of the sanctuary with the other children when the teacher motioned them to the exit door.

Jackson leaned over and whispered, "He gets that gregarious nature from me. You were always so reticent about joining in new activities, Leroy."

Gibbs scowled good naturedly. Feeling Abby's elbow in his back, he thought to himself that she came by her shyness honestly. A second later he discarded that idea. That explanation did not make sense, though. Normally she was even far more gregarious than her brother, making friends everywhere that she ventured.

Ducky had even nicknamed her the social butterfly.

When the adult Church service concluded Jethro thanked the pastor for the sermon, then joined his father, who had gone ahead to fetch Tony from the playground.

Meanwhile Abby clutched a fistful of material from his pants leg and refused to turn loose, replying to any of his questions with a series of whines.

Jethro felt his patience dwindling and made a conscious effort to not snap at his little girl.


	2. Self Assurance

Self Assurance

Tony greeted them with happy excitement, and they discovered Jack in conversation with a couple about Jethro's age.

The agent recognized two of his high school classmates who had married soon after they all graduated.

They exchanged pleasant greetings and Jack relayed that they had invited Tony home with them to spend an afternoon with their son, Cyrus, who was six, as well. He and Tony had forged a bond on the playground and now seemed inseparable.

Tony hurriedly assured his father that not only would he would conduct himself with wonderful manners, but he would obey Cyrus's mama and daddy, also.

Gibbs marveled at Tony's well thought argument and quickly gave permission. He watched as Tony raced off without telling him good bye, and instantly felt a sharp pang of emotion.

Glancing down at his daughter he sighed loudly. Her tight grip cancelled out Tony's impatient nonchalance.

Abby's mood and demeanor did not improve with lunch, and she insisted that her daddy had to stay within her sights at all times. Otherwise she dissolved into whining and dramatic tears. Exasperated, Jethro put her down for a nap over her protests an hour later, then joined his father at the kitchen table.

"She's wearing you out today, Son." Jack adjusted his glasses while he smiled compassionately at his son.

"Dad, I know. I just do not understand her behavior the past couple of days. Abby usually is pretty independent, and is as much a little daredevil as her brother. I simply can not understand this sudden onslaught of clinginess and this reverting to toddler behavior."

"She will snap out of it," Jackson promised. "Children often need the reassurance that a parent will stay with them, and will not leave them. Who knows what triggered this insecurity for her? It does not really matter, though. Our Abigail will stop acting this way when she feels secure."

However, her conduct continued down the same path for the rest of the afternoon and evening. She whined and claimed to need her father to eat, to bathe, to play, and to watch television.

Even Tony, having enjoyed a wonderful afternoon himself, tried to coax her into better conduct but she resisted, and instead, subjected the family to a couple of meltdowns. Finally at his wit's end, Jethro put her to bed a half hour earlier than her normal bedtime just to find some peace.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he joined his father and Tony, engrossed in an episode of _Magnum, P.I. _ on Jack's battered television set. Tony sat snuggled in Jack's lap and Gibbs could not resist smiling at the two. They had the same intense expression on their faces while they watched the protagonist speed through Hawaiian roadways in his sports car.

The next morning Jethro and Jack sat sipping coffee and reading the paper's headlines when Abby descended the stairs looking like a little pixie in her long nightgown. Gripping her baby doll in one hand, she descended slowly, rubbing her eyes and yawning as she made her way to the kitchen table.

When he spotted her, Jethro jumped up and kissed her good morning, then swung her up to put her in her booster seat opposite Tony's.

"Stop, Daddy," she commanded irritably, "I can put my own self in my seat. I'm not a baby!"

Jethro exchanged a surprised glance with his father.

Jack shook his head and advised softly, "Go with it, son, and be thankful that the other phase has passed."

Jethro did as he was told.

His reprieve and relaxation lasted just a couple of days after they returned to D.C., however.

Feeling the sheets underneath him begin to slide on the bed later that week, Gibbs woke after midnight to find Tony climbing up the box springs and mattress. First his son's little head, then his Superman pajama-clothed body appeared. He shifted to give the child some room, then pulled him by the seat of his pants the rest of the way.

"Hey, why have you come to Daddy's bed? Did you have a bad dream? Are you sick?" Gibbs spoke softly and kissed his little boy's forehead.

Tony nodded no, then scooted until he had his body wedged partially under his dad's side.

"Tell me, Tony," Gibbs instructed, brushing back the little boy's bangs.

Tony flashed a gapped grin. "I just missed you, Daddy."

Jethro kissed the top of the little boy's head and Tony burrowed as close to his father as he could get.

That scene set off several more in the next two days, with Tony refusing to leave his father's side. He followed Jethro so closely, in fact, that his daddy physically tripped over the child three times.

Thursday evening Tony staged a massive meltdown when told that his father had received a summons to return to NCIS and a sitter would arrive to take care of the twins. Jethro had to pry Tony's fingers off of his leg to get out of the house and consequently spent the next couple of hours at NCIS reliving his child's tears and pleas for him to stay.

Emotionally, he felt he had no reserves left.

Saturday Gibbs took the kids to the local park, where he hoped to entice Tony to stray from his side. The second that they spread a blanket on the ground for their lunchtime picnic Abby raced off to play with a group of girls congregated at the merry go round.

"Why don't you join your sister?" Gibbs asked with an encouraging smile.

"No, I will stay here with you," Tony quickly replied, then settled himself so that his leg touched his father's. He then used a hand to clutch the hem of his dad's shirt, ensuring the maximum amount of physical contact.

Gibbs pinched the bridge of his nose. He really had no idea how to proceed, having spent the week at Tony's beck and call to re-establish to the little boy that his security was not jeopardized. He had already tried every ploy he could conceive, and yet Tony's sudden spell of clinging had even outlasted Abby's.

Frustrated, Gibbs picked up the basketball he had brought with them. "Why don't you go out to the court and play ball? I see some boys already over there."

Tony did not answer.

Jethro regarded his set face and suddenly jumped to his feet and started walking purposefully.

His little boy scrambled to follow, and he hurried after Jethro, little legs pumping with the exertion.

"Where are you taking my basketball, Daddy?"

Gibbs did not turn. "I am going to give it to that group of boys over there on the court so that they can play."

Tony protested at once, "No, Daddy, that is my ball!"

He jogged closer to his father and grabbed Jethro's arm.

"It was your ball, Son. Since you refuse to play with it, however, I think it will be nice to give it to some boys who would like it."

Tony's shocked objections continued until they actually reached the boundary of the basketball court and Gibbs stopped abruptly, balancing the ball on his hip.

He studied his son for a couple of seconds, then spoke. "If you want this ball you will have to play with this ball. I mean you need to play with this ball and these kids today- right now."

"Ok, ok," Tony agreed hurriedly, reaching out to grab his possession.

"No, not so fast," his father chided, moving the ball to his other hip and further from Tony's reach. "I have no intention of staying right here while you play, either. Instead, I will sit over on our blanket across the playground and watch as you have a good time playing with those other kids."

Tony's lip puffed into a pout.

Jethro held up a finger. "Make a decision. Either you will stay with Daddy on the blanket and watch everyone else play with what once were your toys, or you will share your toys and play with them. Which do you want?"

Jethro raised his eyebrows and waited patiently.

Tony kicked at the dirt and intensified his pout as he weighed the options. Finally he looked up and met his father's gaze. "Let me play with the other boys."

"Fine," Jethro agreed, immediately handing the ball to him, "I think you made the right choice."

Tony grabbed the ball and hurried off, but not before muttering, "The ball was mine anyway!"

His dad could not hide a smirk as he leisurely returned to the blanket.

His strategy had worked, and Gibbs spent the next two hours sitting alone and waving at his children from time to time.

Packing up to leave mid afternoon, his ears were assailed with Tony's protests of "Daddy, do not help me," and "I can do this myself."

_It finally appeared that Tony and Abby understood that Gibbs belonged to them, and that he would not leave them._

Waking up slowly, Agent Jethro Gibbs determined he had company in the hospital room with him. He kept his eyes closed a couple of seconds and listened to the whispered voices, but eventually pulled himself up to a sitting position.

He regarded Tony and Abby with a slight grin.

Smiling in return, they hurriedly moved closer to the bed when they realized he no longer napped.

"Hey there, you two, what did I interrupt?" He looked at both expectantly, clearly not interested in having to wait for his answer.

"Well," Tony answered, "since you have improved so much now, Baby Girl and I have just been talking and have decided we need to spend more time at NCIS and less time here at Bethesda."

Abby nodded happily, "Right, 'cause we can call you to check on you, and Ducky says that you are out of the woods now and don't need us hovering over you any more."

"We certainly can function at home and at work without having to have you beside us every single second." Tony looked hopefully at the older man. "How does that sound, Boss? What are your thoughts?"

Abby quickly added, "Can you do without us here as much?"

Gibbs motioned both to come closer.

He kissed the top of Tony's head, then tousled his hair before kissing Abby on the cheek and whispering, "I think it sounds wonderful."


End file.
